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Each year I plant four sixty foot rows of corn and I like to plant pole beans next to the corn after the corn sprouts have reached 4 to 6 inches in height. Only a fraction of the beans have sprouted each year presumably because the ground isn't quite warm enough for the beans to properly sprout. I have thought about pre-sprouting the bean seeds between wet paper towels placed inside gallon zip lock bags this next season. I also plan on using plenty of bean Inoculant when planting the bean sprouts. Any suggestions or tips on this procedure would be appreciated.
I would recommend just soaking the beans for 24 hours before planting them. If it is warm enough for your corn to grow, that should be all the jump-start that your beans will need.
tanakila, I always soak beans before planting, and corn as well. I have used treated corn in the past which helps the seed to germinate in our cooler climate area. Beans however have always been later plantings since a warmer soil temperature is necessary for bean planting. If you try to go too soon it is doesn't work well, so I take soil temperature readings daily at 9:00 A.M.to determine if the soil is ready for direct seeding. There may be as much as a two weeks spread in the time the cool season corn seed can be planted and beans. I just don't know if pre=sprouting indoors will give me a better shot at getting the beans started.
